Your Opportunity
Southern Downs Regional Council is seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Trainee to join our Strategy, Growth and Stakeholder Engagement Department. This traineeship provides a unique opportunity to gain practical, on the job experience while contributing to initiatives that support the region's economic development, community wellbeing and long term sustainability.
In this role you will assist across a broad range of functions including communications and marketing, grant identification and submissions, economic development activities, and the coordination of events, festivals and programs.
The Trainee will be provided with onsite training and mentoring while completing a Certificate III in Business Administration. This is an excellent opportunity to join Local Government within the Southern Downs and Granite Belt Region. On the job training will be provided within paid work time.
This training is proudly funded by the Queensland Government through its Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.
This program offers young and disadvantaged job seekers the chance to join our team through a paid, hands - on traineeship. Participants will gain practical skills and real-world experience while working towards a nationally recognised qualification and making a positive contribution to the local community.
Term: Temporary, Full-time 12 Months
Hours of Work: 72.5 hours per fortnight, 9 Day fortnight
Pay Level: The pay level for these positions is dependent on the age and prior education of the successful candidates.
Indicative salary levels are between $1067.16 to $2009.34 per fortnight, plus superannuation and leave loading.
In accordance with Council's Enterprise Agreement and the relevant Award. Pay rate dependant on relevant skills and experience.
Employment Base: Warwick, Queensland
Applications Close: 11:59pm Tuesday 12 May 2026
Eligibility:
These positions are funded under the Government's First Start program. To be eligible you must:
- be over 15 years of age;
- have valid Australian working rights;
- have not previously been employed in a First Start funded role; AND
- qualify as at least one of the categories below:
- Young person (aged 15 - 24 years)
- Mature age job seeker (45 years or older)
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
- Long term unemployed job seeker
- Migrant or refugee from a culturally and linguistically diverse background
- People with disability
- Women re-entering the workforce
- Displaced worker
- Veterans, ex-ADF personnel and their families
About the Department
The Strategy, Growth and Stakeholder Engagement Department works collaboratively with industry, business groups and the broader community to support long term prosperity for the Southern Downs region. It is a mutli-disciplinary Department that includes research and advocacy, community engagement, economic development, grant acquisition, communication and marketing, and festivals and events.
What You Will Do
For full details of this position, please ensure you download the Position Description below.
The complete Key Responsibilities of this role can be found in the Position Description. These include (but are not limited to):
- Undertake the assigned work tasks and activities within both the workplace and training context, including:
- Participating in the development of the training plan;
- Performing duties in accordance with the training plan registered with a Recognised Training Organisation (RTO);
- Attending training sessions or supervised workplace activities;
- Provide accurate and administrative support within the department;
- Provide supportive and positive internal and external customer service on the telephone, electronically and in person
What You Will Need
To be considered for this role, you will need:
- The legal right to live and work in Australia
- Possession of a current open “C” class licence (Car) if meet age requirements.
- Ability to commit to the full Traineeship program and competently complete course work and assessment required to complete the Certificate within specified timeframes.
- Strong literacy and numeracy skills
- Sound interpersonal skills including the ability to liaise with co-workers, supervisors, staff from across Council and external customers
- Ability to accurately follow directions and concentrate on tasks within an office environment.
- To be able to demonstrate your competence in relation to all of the Selection Criteria as detailed in the Position Description.
What We Offer
At Southern Downs Regional Council, we know that that our people are our strength. With this front of mind, we provide a wide range of benefits and a holistic approach to supporting our employees, including:
- Competitive wages, conditions and allowances
- Salary packaging and remote area benefits available, which can significantly increase tax savings and take-home pay
- Discounted corporate health insurance plans
- Improved work-life balance opportunities, such as a 9-day work fortnight and consideration of other flexible work options
- Generous leave provisions including Special Family Leave, Cultural Leave and 17.5% annual leave loading
- Access to a wide range of health and wellness initiatives, including free, skin checks, flu vaccinations and wellness medicals, and discounted gym memberships
- Employee Assistance Program for staff and their families (24/7 access). This service includes counselling, financial coaching, nutritional support and legal referrals, as well as access to specialised wellbeing support for LGBTIQA+ individuals, First Nations people, and individuals experiencing domestic and family violence through dedicated helpline
- Opportunities for on and off the job personal and professional development (study assistance available in accordance with policy)
To view comprehensive details of our employee value offering, please click HERE. (Note when viewing this job vacancy through SEEK.com - you will be able to access this link once by clicking on the "Apply" button, or by visiting the job advertisement on our website at www.https://www.sdrc.qld.gov.au/council/careers-at-council/current-job-vacancies)
Further Information
For further information about this role and working for Southern Downs Regional Council, please refer to the documents below:
(Note when viewing this job vacancy on SEEK.com - the links to information below will only be available once you click on the "Apply" button. Alternatively, you can access them via the job advertisement on our website at https://www.sdrc.qld.gov.au/council/careers-at-council/current-job-vacancies).
If you have any additional enquiries in relation to this position, please contact Sonja Johnson, Director Strategy, Growth and Stakeholder Engagement on 1300 697 372.
Apply Now!
At SDRC, we believe that diversity enriches our workplace, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes. We welcome applications from qualified people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders and abilities, who have applicable working rights in Australia.
To apply for this opportunity, you will be asked to complete an online application form and provide:
- Your current CV or Resume.
When you are ready to begin your application, please click on the "Apply" button below to be taken to our online application portal. Please ensure you provide all of the information requested and that your application is lodged by the closing date (as shown above). Should you have any difficulty lodging your application online, please contact our People & Culture team on ph 1300 697 372 for assistance.
We look forward to receiving your application.
Southern Downs Regional Council – A Great Place to Work
What we do at SDRC is more than just a job to us. Whether it’s maintaining our clean water supply, keeping our parks and gardens beautiful, servicing our plant and vehicles, providing contemporary library services, responding to natural disasters or showcasing our region’s immense natural beauty and economic strength, every Council employee strives to make a real difference for our local community.
Few employers combine so many diverse disciplines (eg engineers, childcare workers, trades such as mechanics and plumbers, safety specialists, project managers, plant operators, finance experts, IT specialists and urban planners to name a few) in one organisation. At SDRC, we work together towards the same goal. By integrating a multi-disciplined workplace with collective ideas and skillsets, we provide unique opportunities for our people to develop and grow within their chosen career.
We are passionate about aligning business, community and government to achieve social, economic and environmental outcomes. We believe this is best realised when people are invested in the long-term outcomes of where they live and work. If this sounds like you too, then working in local government at SDRC may be right for you.
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